The...Nest

Even the kitten has found a home, and the mama cat a nest where she may bring her young--even the old pump organ, O Lord of hosts.

--a contextualization of Psalm 84:3

Last year a foreclosure forced a family out of the house across the street, and last year a darling tortoise shell cat was abandoned. This sweet cat befriended us early this summer as we tended the yard and garden, and one evening after she'd been visiting and feasting with us for over two hours, she led us to her litter of kitties which she kept safely in the hobby barn on the foreclosed property.

Eager and mewing for the long-awaited nourishment from their mama, five adorable kittens perhaps five or six weeks old tumbled out of the barn. A gray tabby, an orange tabby, an orange tabby with white spots, a black kitty, and a calico. We immediately fell in love with them and earnestly hoped we could rescue them from street living.

We fell into the habit of crossing the street for a visit with the mama cat and the boldest of her kittens. At the end of one of my solo visits, she astonished and delighted me by calling for her kitties to follow me home. Only three of the five followed, however, and they took a really long time summoning up the daring to cross our threshold. And then there were still two remaining to collect, but Mama Catt showed no interest in retreiving them.

We've never encountered mama cat behavior before, and we feared for the other kitties' safety, so we would brought them food, trying to entice them out. They wouldn't take our food, so the kids would pick up Mama Catt and bring her to them.  By doing this, Aelsa and Paul were able to nab the other kittens, hissing and growling, clawing and trembling, so they could be reunited with their litter mates.

Mama Catt has transitioned quite nicely to being an indoor cat again.  Her offspring, however, aren't quite as trusting of their human companions, especially when they need a dusting of diatomaceous earth to kill the pests living in their fur.  But they do like to play with us, and the kids get to experience what it's like to have kittens in the house.  We figure it's just a matter of time before we have their trust and affection.

And it looks like we'll have these kittens longer than we'd naively expected.  We hoped we would be able to rescue the kittens and find good homes for them before too much time slipped away from us, but few people are interested.  We can't imagine dropping any of them off at a shelter to join twenty or so other cats in confined quarters, so we'll keep caring for them, all the while praying that we can find a home for three of them.

Wouldn't you like to share your home and affections with a sweet little kitten?

Through the Rusty Gate

Something we never noticed this winter when we would wend our way around mounds of windblown snow, hiding our faces from the cold:

The gate posts are embossed with crosses.

Reverse Shopping

Praise God for Spring Cleanup Day! Getting ready for this special trash pickup on Monday has been so fun! It's like shopping in reverse:

"I don't want that one, or that one. I certainly don't want THAT one OR that one!"

And then I get what I really want: less of the previous owner's life and more room for ours.

YAY!

Home is where...

February 21

...the living room furniture is. Thanks for leaving your couch and chairs for us, Randy and Tamara!

the weekend of February 21

...the birthday party is accompanied by music and lots of friends. Thanks for celebrating Paul's 40th with us, everyone!

March 14

...the water gets hot. Thank you, James and Mr. Bausch! And Mike and Elizabeth!

March 18

...hands are washed, teeth are brushed, and basic needs are met. Thanks, Love, for being so happy with the yellow floor! Working together is a delight.

March 25

...the past is exchanged for the future. So many thanks to those who helped pack, lift, and provide food for moving day!

March 25

...a hot shower awaits. Thanks again, Dad and Paul.

March 26 and following

...finishing touches can wait a little longer. Thanks to anyone who puts up with the rough edges!

April 11

...the garden grows. Thanks, Patsy and kids, for helping us uproot the old plants to make room for the new!

April 11

...we air our clean laundry. Thanks, Becki, for letting me teach music in exchange for clean clothes!

Yes, this is home. By the grace of God, through the labor of our hands, and encouraged by the kindness of those who love us, we are carving out a place for ourselves, bit by bit. We thank God for the riches He bestows on us.

A Place to Call Home

You've met the parents; now take a look at the little nest that Carol and Dave have feathered for when they're in town. It gives you an idea of how rough it is down in the basement, and you will see how resourceful they are: the bed consists of an air mattress resting on three courses of plastic storage bins plus backerboard of some kind to stabilize it all. Nice, isn't it?




Back in January they stayed out at The Nest even though we had to return to Chicago for a few days. They blessed us so much with their work on our behalf.

Here they are patching up the floor which Paul had to tear up for the new drain. They, too, are a gift that keeps on giving. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Nave Cabinets

A unique space requires unique storage, especially if we hope to host people in the same place we work and live. Stuff that is used on a daily basis needs a place to hide, and there isn't a lot of room downstairs to store essentials like fabric, the microscope, recording gear, and LEGOs.

The solution will be massive, custom-designed cabinets and hutches, engineered to our specific storage needs, and built and installed along the perimeter, much like the drawing above demonstrates. Both sides of the nave will feature the same basic layout.

One key element of this design is the modular nature of the tables. They are intended to be pulled out from the wall without messing up the integrity of the overall design, and having a 2:1 length to width ratio, they can be placed in many different configurations, depending on our need: a square, a skinny rectangle, a fat rectangle, a hollow square... Purposefully flexible.

To get an idea of how well my theory might work in reality, I recently pulled out the measuring tape and a roll of painter's tape. Now that I can see the outlines on the wall and the floor, I'm still quite happy with the size of the future furniture and how it fits the scale of the building.

But that means that the top of the hutch comes to 9 feet tall! At that height, I'll need to plan to store one more thing: a short step ladder for reaching items on the top shelf!

The depth of the cabinets will be 30 inches instead of the traditional 24. This will create a smoother line to unify the tables and the cabinets, increase our storage below, and give us a more roomy and comfortable work space on top. And again, it fits the scale of the room. Then to complement the extra-deep base cabinets, our upper cabinets will be 15 inches deep instead of the traditional 12.

My inspiration for thinking about custom cabinets comes from Ana White, a woodworking mom who, in her words, likes to put the "make" back into "homemaker". Visit her site and see if you don't begin to feel inspired and empowered to create some great things yourself!

Moving In

I should probably clarify that we don't actually live here yet. For just one more month we'll continue living in the inner city of Chicago, driving out to The Nest for a few productive days at a time as we can. But only for one more month! It's time to start setting up a home with the things we already have as we wait and work to accomplish our dreams and goals.

The bookcases came out of storage, and with it, some of our books. After a year and a half, it was like a reunion with old friends.